A Fresh Start
by KittyBats
Summary: Bruce Wayne met Selina Kyle at a party. They were supposed to have dinner the following night. He didn't show up... Post TDK.


**Disclaimer: The Dark Knight belongs to WB_._ Batman and Catwoman belong to DC Comics and each other.**

**Notes: Since BB and TDK seem highly influenced by The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, I'm including some aspects of those stories here. You'll see which. ^_^**

* * *

The phone rang. She watched the little yellow light blink along with the ringing. She thought about picking up the phone only to slam it down on the base again.

Would the man never learn? He thought he could blow her off and _a call_ was going to make up for it? Oh, no. She didn't care that he was Bruce Wayne. Prince of Gotham. Billionaire Playboy. None of it was all that important to her anyway. Whoever messed with her got cut off immediately. Her time was too important to waste with people, particularly _men_, who thought they were God's gift.

Although...dating the man your father- correction, alleged father- hated _was_ a big incentive. But if Falcone, who had been released from Arkham only two months ago, wasn't going to recognize her publicly, why should she take anything he cared or didn't care about into consideration? Going out with Wayne simply to spite the old guy had not been her finest moment, but Falcone had sent a note saying she should watch who she associated with. He had not signed the card or done anything so careless, but she knew it was him. She had no other family to worry about those kinds of things.

The phone stopped ringing. She sighed not knowing if she was relieved or not to have him finally give u-

The phone rang again.

Whatever. She didn't care. She didn't know why she was sitting by the couch listening to his messages or the constant annoying _Riiiiing!_ anyway. She got up, slipped on her heels, and threw on her coat. She'd get far away from the ringing. From him. Maybe she'd stop by her brownstone to check if its renovations were finally close to being completed.

She swung the door open and Bruce was standing on the other side of it, a cell phone in one hand and the free one about to knock.

"Selina..." he said breathlessly, but even if he had jogged up the forty flights of stairs, she doubted that anyone who had a body like he did would be winded after so short a workout.

She was surprised to see him there, but recovered from her shock quickly. Even if he did look so good. That hair. That face. That smirk! The nerve.

"Excuse me," she said, squeezing between the doorframe and Bruce to step outside into the hall. She locked the door to her suite and headed towards the elevator.

"Selina, wait."

"We have nothing further to discuss, Bruce," she assured him.

He was behind her shortly, "Let me explain. It wasn't-"

_Ding!_

The elevator doors opened and she smiled at the conductor.

"Lobby, Ms. Kyle?" he asked, eyeing Bruce suspiciously until it dawned on him who exactly he was trying to intimidate. He turned and concentrated on the elevator buttons as they descended.

Her eyes twinkled in amusement, but she wasn't about to forgive Bruce so easily. So what if he bothered to track down her temporary address and decided to show up unannounced, which come to think of it, she didn't much like at all. The less anyone knew of her, the better. She couldn't let anyone get too close or delve into her past. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn't shown up last night. Besides, if she cancelled her _trip_ to have dinner with him and he didn't bother to call or reschedule, what was there to explain? She had planned on three houses that night. Three houses full of priceless baubles easy for her to sell on the black market. Of course, Bruce didn't know that, but that's what he'd cost her. She wasn't about to forget anytime soon.

* * *

What was he doing in Selina's elevator? Following her like a lost puppy is what he was doing! When did he follow anyone? Despite how he felt about Rachel - he had never trailed after her - and here he was pursuing someone he hardly knew through her apartment building trying to explain why he missed the dinner he didn't even want to have initially. But since Rachel's passing, Bruce Wayne had not been out as much he as was supposed to. Or so he tried to convince himself. Deep down, however, he knew _why_ he was there.

Selina made him forget. He forgot himself, his past failures, and the future turmoil awaiting him. She was so vivacious, living in the here and now that when he was with her he could almost believe he too was living in the here and now. He knew it was selfish of him, but he didn't plan on stringing her along for too long.

She obviously didn't want to speak to him and he knew why, but Scarecrow had escaped Arkham and he couldn't let him terrorize Gotham again. But he couldn't very well say that. He had an entire lie fabricated about Wayne Enterprise business out of the country that required his immediate attention.

* * *

_Ding!_

"Lobby."

"Thank you, Mark."

Mark felt compelled to bow as she and Bruce Wayne exited his elevator, "Of course, Ma'am. _Sir_."

They walked through the lobby without saying anything. She knew she shouldn't see him again. Being who she was, everyone knowing who he is, there was no way it would end well. It was a dangerous situation, but he piqued her curiosity and she wanted to know _more_.

* * *

Bruce knew he shouldn't pursue her. He should have seen yesterday's interruption as a stroke of luck; what was the point of his wanting to get to know her, they could never really get anywhere because of the lives he led. It was an impossible situation he couldn't force himself to walk away from.

* * *

When they stepped outside, she continued to ignore him and hailed a cab.

"Let me make it up to you," Bruce tried again, reeling in his thoughts of the future to something more easily accomplished, "How about breakfast?"

She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and breakfast sounded great actually.

"I suppose one meal couldn't hurt," she replied more to herself and without so much as a glance in his direction.

Bruce grinned and led her to the car. Alfred opened the door, but before she stepped inside, she added, "But don't think this means _you're_ off the hook."

* * *

**Okay, well, there's their beginning...kind of. This is the longest thing I've ever written, so I don't know if I have more in me, but there's more I _want_ to write, so there might be! Anyway, what do you think? Let me know!**


End file.
